Carl W. Kenney II is an award winning columnist and novelist. He is committed to engaging readers into a meaningful discussion related to matters that impact faith and society. He grapples with pondering the impact faith has on public space while seeking to understand how public space both hinders and enhances the walk of faith.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Why I don't celebrate Independence Day

There will be
no barbeque and fireworks for me.

I don’t
celebrate Independence Day.

I both
understand and appreciate the importance of the day.It is the birthday of our nation.I say our devoid of hesitation. I love being
an American, and believe in baseball, hotdogs and apple pies.Well, I don’t eat hotdogs, but I accept them
as part of American culture.

I don’t
celebrate Independence Day because doing so would affirm a lie.It is not my Independence Day.I know, that’s old news, but buying into the
celebration would deny years of subjugation before the signing of the Civil
Rights Act in 1964.

Note that I didn’t
use Juneteenth, June 19, 1865, as black Independence Day.Juneteenth is a holiday that commemorates the
announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas.Although it is more appropriate for blacks to
celebrate Juneteenth as their date of independence, the mention of freedom from
slavery did not equate to true independence until the legislation of laws to
protect freedom were imposed in 1964.

It could be
argued that black people continue to fight for independence.That is a matter for debate.It is true that many have experienced the
promise of the American Dream, while others continue to grapple to overcome the
grip of oppression.Some will say the limits
of some are the result of personal choices, and that institutional barriers
that hinder progress have been eliminated. Again, that’s a debate for another
day.

My issue
relates to the validity of our claims.Independence
Day is not a day of celebration for me.It is a reminder of the hypocrisy of our nation’s history.It shed bright lights on the scandal of our
past, and the consequences related to blacks in America.It’s a past that shouldn’t be neglected in
our quest to wave flags, eat barbeque and watch fireworks to celebrate our
national pride.

As much as I
would like to get over it, my love for history won’t allow me to pretend.I can’t let America off the hook by participating
in our nations lie.We can imagine a
nation ruled historically by the mandates of its constitution.We can fantasize over the contribution of the
fathers of the nation, while forgetting they were all white men.We can conceive in our imagination a history
of people bonded by an agenda for universal freedom, but all of that is a lie.

That is not
who we have been, and for black people to celebrate independence, while trapped
in a history of suppression, denies the pain of our past.I can’t claim that history as my own.My ancestors continue to cry from the grave
begging me to state the truth regarding the rest of the story.To claim national independence negates the
brutality of a system that refuted the humanity of the slaves.

Yes, that is
a painful past, but it remains part of our national truth.To expect my participation under the cloak of
patriotism is a position rooted in privilege.It strips me of the part that demands to be heard and respected for
surviving the journey.It recants the
stories of my great-grandparents who endured being slaves.It tarnishes the witness of those who fought
for, waited for, and died for authentic independence.

I love
America.

I believe in
the values expressed in our constitution.I believe that all men, and women, “are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. That among these are Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness. “

I believe in
the natural rights of all men and women.I believe those natural rights exits irrespective of race, nationality,
religion, gender or sexual orientation.I believe those rights should be respected and affirmed in the face of
mental and physical condition, political affiliation or past mistakes.

It is my belief
in our constitution that compels me not to celebrate Independence Day.My refusal affirms the rights of those
denied, and the independence of those forgotten.My saying no is a yes for those who seek to
be protected by the constitution we celebrate on this day. My no obliges us to
move past the memory of the words, and apply them in a way that includes those
forgotten between the lines of hypocrisy.

I refuse to
celebrate because I love the vision of America.I love what we can be if we uphold fully the tenants of our constitution.I love the hope of each word written.

I refuse to
celebrate because we’re not there yet, and there is a gruesome past that we
sweep under the rug whenever guilt and shame show up to prevent authentic
healing.

1 comment:

It is funny that I read this on July 5th as I woke up yesterday and had much the same thought, but for different reasons. I agree completely with the comments made and somewhat have an understanding, but my first thoughts yesterday morning, Independence Day, were sad for the condition of America. We are not "free". Yes, we have many freedoms that other nations dream of, but we are not truly free in the sense that God would have us be. We are a blessed nation in so many ways, yet we are still bound in the diseases of prejudice, selfishness, hatred, denying truth and the list could go on and on and on. I prayed for my country yesterday and should do so everyday-binding Satan's influence, the world view that infects all of us and our own selfishness within.

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Carl W. Kenney II

Carl was named the best serious columnist of 2011 by the North Carolina Press Association for his work with the News & Observer's community paper The Durham News and in 2016 by the Missouri Press Association for his columns in the Columbia Missourian. He is a columnist with the News & Observer and Co-Executive Producer of "God of the Oppressed" an upcoming documentary film on black liberation theology. He is a former Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri - School of Journalism and Adjunct Instructor at Duke University, the Center for Documentary Studies. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He furthered his education at Duke University and attained a Master of Divinity. He was named a Fellow in Pastoral Leadership Development at the Princeton Theological Seminary on May 14, 2005. He is a freelance writer with his commentary appearing in The Washington Post, Religious News Services,The Independent Weekly and The Durham Herald-Sun. Carl is the author of two novels: “Preacha’ Man” and the sequel “Backslide”.
He has led congregations in Missouri and North Carolina